I have a longtime friend who is going through some health issues right now.

He’s the primary cook in his household, so I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how that plays out for any family at any time. What does the family do when the primary cook is down?

I know pregnant women frequently fill their freezers before the birth, or their Sunday school class might drop off a few meals afterward.

Takeout is the obvious answer, but it’s expensive. And many of the cheaper meal options are highly processed or don’t offer much in the way of vegetables.

And – call me crazy – but when a body is in recovery of any kind, I feel like it needs some vegetables.

I guess that’s what made me remember this recipe the other night when my friend was heavy on my mind and I (the primary cook in our household) really, really didn’t want to cook.

It’s so simple that I feel a little odd calling it a recipe. But I guess if a person can become famous on the Food Network for making “semi-homemade” meals, I can surely share a semi-homemade recipe here or there, no?

My mama is actually the originator of this one. She called it “angel soup.” I’ve never known why, and she’s never explained it.

Maybe it’s because it’ll rescue you when you think you might run away if you have to cook one more meal? That’s possible. It’s definitely possible.

(It’s like I can hear those of you who are the primary cooks in your household shouting “Amen!” from where you are standing, probably stirring something on the stove. I know. I know.)

ANGEL SOUP TWO WAYS

Ingredients
1 pound ground beef
1 can tomatoes (diced, stewed or crushed)
Seasonings as desired: garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar, sugar and worcestershire sauce
Option 1: 2-3 cans condensed vegetable soup (My favorite is Campbell’s vegetarian vegetable. Yes, even though I’m adding meat. I am an enigma wrapped in a mystery.)
Option 2: 2 cups beef stock or broth plus 1 bag frozen diced vegetables

Directions
■ Crumble beef into a large saucepan, Dutch oven, or stockpot over medium heat. Stir and cook until meat is completely browned. Drain off excess grease. Season with salt and pepper. (To make this even easier, purchase ground beef in packages larger than you need. Brown the entire package at one time. Separate the browned meat into quart-sized freezer bags; 2 cups of cooked beef will fit nicely into a quart-sized bag and is about the right amount for most recipes, including this one. Press out the extra air, seal, and freeze flat. Voila. Now you can whip up this soup faster than you can get a pizza delivered.)
■ To the cooked beef, add the can of diced tomatoes. For option 1, add the cans of condensed soup and about half as much water as the can calls for. For option 2, add the beef stock and vegetables to the beef and tomato mixture.
■ Add about 1 teaspoon each of your desired seasonings, omitting salt if you used condensed soups. Stir and heat through. Taste for flavor. You probably won’t need additional seasonings if you used option 1. If you used option 2 and your soup is too acidic, add about 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar and a pinch of sugar. If it lacks complexity, add about 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce. (I added all of these.)

Amelia Plair is a mom and high school teacher in Starkville. Email reaches her at [email protected].

Amelia Plair is a Starkville resident who writes occasional food columns.